US Senate passes legislation disrespecting marriage, endangering religious freedom

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Ryan Bangert regarding the U.S. Senate’s passage Tuesday of the deceptively named “Respect for Marriage Act,” a bill that does far more than enshrine same-sex marriage into federal law by intentionally jeopardizing the religious freedom of millions of Americans who have sincerely held beliefs about marriage:

“This dangerously cynical and completely unnecessary bill is a direct attack on the First Amendment. It does nothing to change the legal status of same-sex marriage anywhere. But it undermines religious freedom everywhere and exposes Americans throughout the country to predatory lawsuits by activists seeking to use the threat of litigation to silence debate and exclude people of faith from the public square. Today, the Senate has chosen to disregard legitimate concerns about the undeniable harms of this bill. If the Senate truly cared about protecting religious freedom, it would have included comprehensive amendments proposed by Sens. Lee, Rubio, and Lankford. ADF remains committed to ensuring the First Amendment protects the rights of all Americans and to defending those who will likely be targeted because of this legislation.”

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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